Colorful Times » Art & Design

VIDEO: Remembering Drum Magazine (UK)

Jack Dee — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:54:17 +0000

Inspired by the well-known 1950’s South African publication of the same name, Drum offered Black British males an authentic UK lifestyle publication designed specifically for them.

There was (and is still) no provision for this target audience within UK publishing, and Drum sought to fill that gap, bringing an alternative to the rather stale format of mainstream lifestyle titles or American imported “bling” culture.

“Fashion is fun. Style and design, however, I do find very interesting as in the pages of your Drum magazine.” – Paul Boateng, former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and British High Commissioner to South Africa.

Drum (UK) was the brainchild of our Colorful Times editor Paul Boakye, who (with initial support from a former-editor of the original Drum in South Africa, Sylvester Stein) launched the magazine for a Black British audience.

“Drum is a unique publication of style, class and quality, which provides a total reading experience. It entertains, educates and informs.” – Sir Bill Morris.

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Jack Dee

I've been an IT consultant for over 15 years. Strange to get paid for doing what you love. May be in danger of being called a geek... but who cares? I actually enjoy every opportunity to drive through the concepts, design, and creative framework on even personal web-based projects. My other passion is travel: 72 cities in 35 countries at the last count.

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Structures of Trade: States of Independence

Paul Boakye — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 11:08:24 +0000

Fascinating evening at the opening of Adeniyi (‘Niyi) Olagunju’s “Structures of Trade” exhibition on Thursday, 5th August 2010, at FRED London on Vyner Street in the East End of London.

Fred (left) with artist Adeniyi (right) at Structure of Trade exhibition in Bethnal Green (E2).

Especially interesting because on the first Thursday of every month, all the many galleries on Vyner Street open their doors to a passing trade of endlessly pretty, young bohemian types, hopping from art exhibition to art exhibition, bottle of purchased beer in hand.

The works on offer fluctuate from space to space between the good, very bad, and indifferent, but the whole atmosphere is rather intoxicating, refreshing in fact, and not unlike the university years with a range of up and coming artistic types rubbing shoulders with the local professionals. Great for the young and the young at heart but over-40s.

States of Independence

This untitled piece by Adeniyi, which I’ve called here “States of Independence,” was my favourite example of his work on display. It features all seventeen independent countries of Africa in one gigantic installation, priced at £20,000 + VAT for a selection of painted crates you stick on a wall.

I don’t know about you, but at these prices, I’ll be down Vyner Street on the first Thursday of next month with some slabs of wood, a hammer, and some pots of coloured house paint. Sounds to me like good money for old wood!

As the artist explains: “My current use of discarded materials and vibrant colors are symbols of my dual African-European identity, the art is an attempt to bring these distinct cultures closer.”

Note to Self: Run down to Vyner Street in Bethnal Green, London E2, again soon. Well worth another visit! Oh, and do remember that the iPhone has camera and video attached more often, or next time you’re out without the digital SLR!!

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Paul Boakye

Writer, editor and marketing specialist who sat on The Power Inquiry. Former editor and CEO of the consumer lifestyle magazine, Drum (UK), and author of five plays published for an academic audience by Alexander Street Press, USA. Recipient of business and writing awards, including prestigious accolades such as advising British government, BBC radio and TV commentator, and invitation to meet Queen Elizabeth II in 2007. Currently works as a communications professional, creating contagious ideas to help great brands change the conversation to their advantage, across the entire Central and West African region.

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Original Gabriel Eklou Painting for Auction: The Lady and The Wind

Jack Dee — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 08:32:30 +0000

Gabriel Eklou was born in 1966 in Accra, Ghana, West Africa, but spent most of his childhood in Togo. His schooling took place in Togo, Benin and Ghana. As a trained accountant he worked in the travel industry but, in 1996, he followed his passion and gift and became a full-time painter.

As his art developed he began using larger canvases and found that they gave him the scope he needed to portray his main interests – the symbolic interpretation of community life.

Signed, framed original, acrylics on canvas, 100 x 105cm.

The Lady and the Wind (featured) captures the essence of Gabriel’s light and graceful expressionism. His signature figures, elongated, tapered and elegant, speak a body language that is understood all over the world. With economy, Gabriel conveys the inner energy in an impending gesture. Whether dynamic or in repose, his people reside in a timeless landscape of calm earth tones.

This talented and passionate African artist has kept a steady pace since 1996, exhibiting three or four times a year. His art can be found in corporate and private collections in Ghana, West Africa, Togo, Germany, England, Denmark, Belgium, the USA, Japan and Canada.

Bid on eBay for The Lady and The Wind or contact us to buy it privately.

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Jack Dee

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Portraits of Eve: Women of Color Share Their Body/Soul Conversations

Paul Boakye — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 18:23:55 +0000

I love photography. Love seeing ‘people of colour’ captured in strong black and white images. Love fearless form and clarity in pictures. Love perfect composition, and seeing thinking outside of the box, photographically speaking, I mean.

I want to see dark-skinned people pictured using impeccable lighting—all shades, shadows and textures lifted in near 3D tone and quality—just as it was once said could never be achieved with black skin in photography. So when I was offered the chance to download and review an electronic copy of Herb Way’s book, Portraits of Eve: Women of Color Share Their Body/Soul Conversations, I was terribly excited.

I have always been comfortable with my body. Being adopted by an Italian family got me used to being different and I grew up with the belief that it was a wonderful thing.

I’ve never met Herb Way. I know little about him or his work, except what can be found on his Facebook profile. I therefore had no concept of what to expect from his first book of photographic images. But as I flipped through its pages, and read the personal statements accompanying each photograph, I was surprised by the number of women who spoke of their bodies in terms of ‘scars.’ They had been scarred by pregnancy, hormones, stress, diet or illness, many said, or they talked of a need for breast-reduction, as opposed to the normal breast-enlargement that figure so prominently in most male fantasies.

I was immediately drawn to these personal stories, and struck by how much the human body is still just a vessel. Here were women of all ages, shapes, sizes, and shades, revealing and revelling in their nudity for all the world to see. Whereas we are normally encouraged to think of naked female forms as purely sexual objects, particularly in this porn-obsessed Internet age, there was something very different going on here.

One woman spoke of how her scarring had been diminished by the still athletic parts of her body—which she liked, worked on and emphasised—whilst masking those areas that troubled her most. Another was unhappy with an extremely thin frame from childhood but masked her pain with a long synthetic wig that seemed to suggest other issues. Having both positive and negative body parts that were still considered part of each woman’s overall beauty was a recurring theme in many of the personal testimonies.

I try not to place too much emphasis on appearances. I believe that the spirit is much more relevant.

Among the male friends I showed this book, many commented on one or two images in particular. “Why were some of the good-looking model-types covered up,” when they at least should be used to being photographed or looked at, and presumably, more comfortable showing their flesh in public? I didn’t see it quite that way. It left me thinking about how difficult it must be for some models and ordinary women too in our society; constantly having people critiquing your body, your looks, in a way that most men are never subjected to and would never voluntarily undergo. Of course, men self-critique, but if our perception of self were based largely on our external appearance, most men I know, and certainly many of those in positions of power, would have no self-esteem at all.

With the women featured in this book, there was little direct discussion on how their body image may have been influenced by the men in their lives. These personal stories centred instead on structural, social or cultural influences, and the women’s own perceptions of themselves. Many cited the act of being photographed nude for this 144-page volume as part of their ongoing process of healing.

Every roll, dimple, and scar...is a marker of my life...wonderful nights with my lover, late night ice cream parties with my friends, and the birth of my children.

In this sense, Portraits of Eve has very little to do with the male gaze. For in our society where female nudity is most often about male pleasure, male power and the objectification of women, Herb Way’s book is a brave and enlightening departure from the norm. Yet ‘brave’ is perhaps the wrong word, but ‘empowered,’ which is so much more useful for millions of ordinary women such as those featured here.

Also of note was how the various women self-identified: African American, Native American, Korean, Trinidadian/Italian, Filipino, Brazilian, and so on. My sincere thanks to Herb Way for an opportunity to appreciate the loving and wonderful work that has gone into the preparation of Portraits of Eve: Women of Color Share Their Body/Soul Conversations, and especially to the women themselves for making public the intimate and private photographic sessions that he has so tenderly recorded with them. Herb Way and his camera love real women, just like these women have grown to love themselves.

The self-published, 144-page book, Portraits of Eve: Women of Color Share Their Body/Soul Conversations, containing 120 photographs of semi-nude and nude images of sixty women will be available from September 2010. Production costs are being offset by sales of the e-book version and by advanced sales of the hard copy edition at a special pre-publication price.

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Victor Odoi’s Fishermen and Market Scenes

Paul Boakye — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 14:08:31 +0000

Acclaimed as the pre-eminent neo-impressionist in his native Ghana, Victor Odoi’s oil paintings evoke the fishing villages and market scenes along the coast of Accra, the capital city.

At Work (II) by Victor-Odoi | Acrylics on Card (50 x 38cm)

Odoi’s world is peopled by strong and energetic fishermen who sail the turbulent seas in search of the daily catch to sell at market where they go to conduct brisk business and to fraternize. It is a world of rough seas and strong blues, reds and yellows as fresh and colourful as the tuna, squid, sea bream and snappers that his fishermen catch.

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Painter Larry Otoo: A Contemporary Traditionalist

Paul Boakye — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 12:26:08 +0000

“I like and love to paint, to translate my inner perceptions into reality… use colour so liberally so that I can be happy with what I create.”

Mellow Mood by Larry Otoo
Acrylics on Canvas 81 X 69cm

Larry Otoo attended the College of Art at Kwame Nkrumah University where he attained an MA in African Art and Comparative Literature in 1981. His themes express the relationship between Western and African art, and he refers to himself as “a contemporary traditionalist” since much of work is inspired by the familiar daily activities of Ghanaian life.

Having exhibited widely and regularly since 1978, Larry is one of the best-known and most successful artists in Ghana today. “Each time I pick up the brush to paint,” he says, “I have a strong feeling that an obligation has been placed upon me to record and preserve our traditions visually.”

Otoo paints in oils and acrylics and does portraits in pastels. He is a master colourist with a strong sense of surface effect and rhythm. His subjects include groups of traditional drummers, dancers, crowds, market scenes, and so on. He is described as “courageous in his experimentation,” and his canvases varying considerably.

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The Fishy Art of Kobina Nyarko

Paul Boakye — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 10:57:06 +0000

“I have explored several mediums, styles and themes. Specific interest in the subject FISHES, which my love revolves around.”

Kobina Nyarko is one of Ghana’s premier young contemporary artists. Born in Takoradi, Ghana, in 1972, much of Nyarko’s recent work explores the symbolism of fish in paintings that feature numerous tiny fish on often large-scale canvases.

Fun Around by Kobina Nyarko
Acrylics (egshell-on-card) 33 x 26cm

This “trademark” theme makes his work easy to recognize. The swirling, mesmerizing schools of fish captivate all of Nyarko’s viewers and collectors.

Nyarko was formally trained at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. He graduated in 2003 with a BA in Industrial Art.

In May 2007, Kobina Nyarko was featured in an exhibition at the San Diego Museum of Man, Artists Speak: Contemporary art from Ghana and Zimbabwe. His work is considered illustrative of 3rd generation Ghanaian artists, who freely express themselves as artists in a modern world, without succumbing to restrictive notions of African art.

Kobina Nyarko currently lives in Takoradi with his wife and son.

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Madhumati: in Search of the Source of Hope

Paul Boakye — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 16:58:45 +0000

“In art, I have found my way… and in this way I am lost, for in losing myself, I have found bewilderment and wonder.”

Born in India, Madhumati is a highly accomplished artist and musician. She graduated with a first class degree in Fine Art from Visva Bharati University, Santinikentan, in 1998. Her work is now collected around the world.

Perhaps art critic Swapan Mullick gets closest to the heart of Madhumati’s work when he writes:

Autumn 4 | Oils on Canvas

“If music is a return to roots… Madhumati does the same with her series of paintings. The constant search for light as the source of hope gives her work a romantic tone and texture. But what stands out most of all is the sense of nostalgia for the environment.”

Before moving to the UK, Madhumati exhibited at a number of very successful solo shows in India. She has been involved in several UK shows, including ArtSpace Galleries in London’s Mayfair. She also returned to India for two triumphant exhibitions, in Mumbai (2008) and Kolkata (2009).

“I try to catch the movement and flow of life… glimpses of light and shadow, combining the forces of colour and movement, light and darkness, to conjure atmosphere and imagery. I twist realistic impressions and create effects verging on the abstract, whilst maintaining a few essential details.”

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The Magic Illusion of Peter (Ghose) Ngugi

Paul Boakye — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 14:53:19 +0000

“Magic and illusion is a major influence in my work. My aim is to perform magic on canvas, so that every time you look at the painting you see something new.”

Ghose, as Peter Ngugi is popularly known, was born in Thika in Kenya. Although he has continued to live in his native country, he is becoming increasing well-known outside of Kenya for his unique style, which he describes as “a fusion of surreal and contemporary art.”

Cow and Calf by Ghose
Oil on Canvas (52 x 52cm)

“Through my window, I can see the majestic Chania River bordered by flame trees and the blooming purple jacaranda. Near this riverbank is a small town full of colour and intrigue, where, with no physical boundaries set, man and beast have learned to co-exist. The river is a tranquil sanctuary, to not only the great hippo, but also serving as a source of life for the town’s inhabitants. From the colours of tiny flowers within the grass to the unmistakable call of the weaverbird, this land is a great source of inspiration for my art.

I have experimented extensively with oil colours on canvas. The slow-drying nature of the medium allows me to create a fingerprint effect through whorl-like lines etched on the canvas. My animal paintings are inspired by native Kenyan animals…”

Peter (Ghose) Ngugi’s forays abroad include a recent stint at the University of Kentucky as artist in residence in 2008. He has been involved in several major exhibitions including being featured in Off the Main, New York City, an art fair showcasing contemporary African, Caribbean and Latin American Art. The first show of its kind, Off the Main was staged during Hispanic Heritage Month, with over forty international exhibitors.

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World-Class Contemporary Art in Central London Exhibition

Paul Boakye — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 11:05:08 +0000

Colorfultimes.com, in partnership with AFRIKART (London), are pleased to announce a 3-day exhibition of world-class contemporary paintings by a selection of artists from India, Sudan, Kenya, Uganda and Ghana in the heart of London’s Covent Garden.

The works on offer in this exhibition vary in style–ranging from abstract to representational–yet they all bristle with a unifying sense of energy, passion, colour, creativity and thoughtfulness.

Zongo Lane (Old City) by Robert Aryeetey | Mixed Media on Card

“Our passion for bringing inspirational art to the discerning collector is reflected in this stunning selection of paintings from some of the best talents from around the world,” said Kwame Akuffo, director of AFRIKART and London-based curator and collector of contemporary art.

Evening Drizzleii by Madhumati | Oil on Canvas

Join us at The Africa Centre in London’s Covent Garden for a sip of wine, a friendly chat, and the shining lights of contemporary art from two continents.

All of the works featured are available to purchase as one-off originals, but some are also available as limited edition prints, please inquire. Brilliant … eclectic … collectable art you’ll want to own and keep.

Exhibition
Wednesday, 30 June – Friday, 02 July 2010
11:00 – 18:30 Daily

The Africa Centre
38 King Street
London
WC2E 8JT

Private View
Wednesday, 30 June 2010
17:00 – 21:00

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Paul Boakye

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